Silk Road kingpin faces 20 years

Silk Road kingpin, Ross Ulbricht, is about to have his trial begin before a New York court tomorrow.

Ulbricht is accuse of seven crimes, including narcotics trafficking, running a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to aid and abet hacking, and money laundering.

The government prosecutors allege that he was in control of server infrastructure, programming code, and profits generated from sales.

Furthermore, the government also alleges that Ulbricht was willing to resort to violence to protect Silk Road. Judge Katherine Forrest last week ruled that those charges will be heard.

According to the US government, Ulbricht operated under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, while his defense team has denied he is Dread Pirate Roberts and is therefore not guilty. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 20 years.